


can we just talk?

by lesbianbey



Category: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (TV)
Genre: Coming Out, Heart-to-Heart, M/M, Straight Crushes, Two gays...just talking about being gay, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-12
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:42:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22228990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lesbianbey/pseuds/lesbianbey
Summary: “Not that I am against this, but why?”“Cause I feel like you’re the only person I can talk to about this.”Yup, still confused. “Out of everyone in theater club, including Ashlyn, and your water polo team, I'm the person you come to? What could we possibly have in common—““I’m gay, Carlos.”- or, the fic where EJ comes out to Carlos.
Relationships: E.J. Caswell & Carlos Rodriguez
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	can we just talk?

**Author's Note:**

> there needs to be more fics between these two. friendship fics.

It was just a regular day at East High when Carlos is pulled aside by someone he thought he would never actually like that much. “I need to talk to you.”

“Um, ok?” Carlos is completely confused. The last time he had a conversation with EJ, it went kind of bizarre. EJ went snooping in Miss Jenn’s files, Carlos had to keep it a secret, they’ve moved on. They’re not friends (because Carlos thought he was just a typical, bland white cishet jock that girls liked for some reason other than his eyes) but they were cordial, for the sake of theater club. “Not that I am against this, but why?”

“Cause I feel like you’re the only person I can talk to about this.”

Yup, still confused. “Out of everyone in theater club, including Ashlyn, and your water polo team, I'm the person you come to? What could we possibly have in common—“

“I’m gay, Carlos,” he says.

There’s total silence, where Carlos is trying to process this information and EJ wondering if he made a fatal, irreversible mistake. “Ok, now I get it.”

EJ rolls his eyes. “Yeah, East High doesn’t have that much people I know personally that like members of the same sex, and no offense, but your boyfriend Seb is way too effeminate for me to have a serious conversation with.”

“Thanks, I think?” Carlos isn’t going to address that. Not yet, at least. “What made you realize it?” EJ casts his eyes towards the door, seeing exactly what made him realize that his affinity for boys wasn’t a fluke when he was twelve. Carlos follows him. “Oh. Yikes. I’m sorry.”

“I found them, in the girls’ dressing room after the show…” he explains. “I wanted to congratulate Nini personally ‘cause she killed it out there and with the Dean in the audience that might consider her for the Conservatory but…”

“You saw them.”

“Right in the middle of Ricky confessing his love for her. I never thought I’d be jealous of a girl, but here I am.”

Carlos frowns. He definitely understands straight crushes. During his formative years, a lot of guy friends he’s had in the past, he ends up crushing on them. He was once honest and the friend stopped talking to him, and purposefully transferred to another school, so that was it. “I know it’s heartbreaking now, but it’s a good thing you were honest to someone about this. Does anyone else know you’re gay?”

“Ashlyn figured it out. She confronted me when we were kids but I was still in the closet...and I thought dating Nini would made me realize I was at least bi, but god. I love Nini, but she’s a nightmare.”

Carlos has to snort. “That bad, huh?”

“It was weird kissing her. So weird. Maybe that’s also why I didn’t have an emotional connection with Troy, ‘cause I just couldn’t pretend to be straight for a role.”

“You know, I read somewhere that Chad and Ryan were supposed to be together, so maybe when you were cast as Chad…”

“Too meta.”

Carlos smirks a little. “Alright. I went too far. But listen...don’t give up. There are other good looking boys in this school. And if it helps, Gina and I started an LGBT club at school cause we both know how it feels to be gay in a straight dominated world.” He places a hand on EJ’s shoulder for comfort. “You’re not alone, EJ. I hope you know that.”

“I hope you’re right.” He starts to walk away but then he stops, then turns to Carlos. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“You’re welcome.”


End file.
